Roof ventilator



J.' R. RYBURN ET AL Aug. 4, 1959 ROOF VENTILATOR Filed Aug. 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jake R. Ryburn Charles F? Bonner INVENTORS MWWvM Aug. 4, 1959 J. R. RYBYURN ET AL 2,897,742

' ROOF'VENTILATOR Filed Aug. 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.

Jake R. Ryburn IN V EN TORS Charles F. Bonner ROOF VENTILATOR Jake R. Ryburu and Charles F. Bonner, Pine Bluff, Ark.

Application August 19, 1957, Serial No. 679,007

4 Claims. (CI. 98-42) This invention relates to a roof ventilator.

An object of the invention is to provide a roof ventilator for necessary ventilation, the ventilator being flush with the top surface of the roof thereby having no objectionable protrusions above the plane of the roof.

Prior roof ventilators or roof jacks protruded above the plane of the roof and an attempt was made to shed the rainwater so that it did not enter the ventilator. In our invention we have a ventilator which receives the rainwater and drains it 01f through a pipe, duct, etc.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roof ventilator in accordance with the previous description but having a baffie by which to keep rainwater out of the attic. The splash bafle is in a protective position over the projected frontal area of the duct through which air flows in the house or other building.

()ur ventilator is capable of being used in many capacities. The principal use is, of course, as a roof ventilator. However, it is clearly understood that the principles of the invention may be applied to the problem of venting appliances such as furnaces, hot water heaters, etc. In such a use the adoption of a liner for ventilator box is suggested. In such uses the drain ducts, pipe, etc. will be used in the same way, but the air entrance will have to be coupled with the appliance vent pipe from the chimney or like conductor of fumes or air or gases.

A ventilator in accordance with the invention may be made to install into the comb of the roof with openings on both sides of the comb. As shown in the drawing it may be installed at any place along the surface of the roof. In either case there is nothing protruding any material distance above the surface of the roof. Unsightly ventilator ducts are completely avoided inasmuch as the unsightliness is removed by having the duct work concealed.

Other objects and features of our invention will become apparent from following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a typical building having need or use for a ventilator constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken approximately on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the ventilators in Figure 1.

In the accompanying drawing there is shown a typical building which has four ventilators 12, 14, 16 and 18 respectively installed in the roof 22 thereof. These ventilators typify the invention and show the principal use, that is for ventilating the attic 24 of the building 10.

A typical form of our ventilator consists of a ventilator box 26 which may assume any configuration such as rectangular or square and which has end walls 28 and 30, side walls 32 and 34 together with a bottom wall 7 2,897,742 Patented Aug. 4, 1959 36. The bottom wall is sloped (Figure 2) to form a sump 38 enclosed by screen 42. Water entering the opening 40 in the top wall 41 of the ventilator box 26, flows through the screen 40 and enters drain pipe or duct 44. This duct is attached to the bottom wall 36 of the box 26 and is connected to a water conducting system 46 in order to drain all of the water from ventilator box 26.

Top wall 41 of ventilator box 26 is angulated to match the slope of roof 22, and it has a flat frame 50 secured to it to fit flush against the roof. The installation of frame 50 will vary in accordance with the type of roof. A screen 52 to separate debris and prevent birds from entering the box 26, is attached to the top wall 41 of ventilator box 26 and fits within the opening 54 in frame 50.

A Water deflector or bafile 56 is in the ventilator box 26. It is attached to the wall 34 near the upper edge of it and is angled downwardly and inwardly so that the vertical lower edge portion 58 of the battle is directly above the center line of the Water conductor 44. The function of the baffle 56 is to prevent Water from splashing through opening 60 that is formed in the side wall 34-. This opening functions as a passage for air as shown by the arrows in Figure 2. Screen 62 covers opening 60 and is attached to the wall 34. Eyelet 64 is in the screen to allow the beaded chain 66 to pass through it for attachment to the spring loaded closure 68. This closure is connected by hinge 78 along its upper edge to the inside surface of wall 34 and is located in a protected position beneath the water deflector or bafile 56. Closure 68 is sufficiently large to completely cover opening 60. A torsion spring 72 is mounted on the hinge pin of hinge 70 and reacts on wall 64 and on closure 68 tending to maintain the closure in an open position. The beaded chain is passed through a keyhole-like slot 78 in bracket 80. This bracket is attached to the ventilator box 26 so that when the selected beads of the chain 66 are fitted in the smaller portion of slot 78, the closure 78 is maintained in a fixed position against the bias of spring '72. Accordingly, the ventilator may be opened and closed a selected amount by adjusting the position of the closure 68.

In use of the invention, th ventilator is installed in a non-obtrusive and practically concealed position in a typical roof 22. Other roofs will require slight alterations in the location and manner of mounting. However, in all cases it is intended that the ventilator box be practically concealed and in no event shall there be objectionable protrusions above the plane of the roof. Ventilation is achieved by passage of air through opening 60, the box 26 and the screen covered opening 42. In the event of rain, the rain freely enters the box 26 but is discharged through the water conducting system 46. Due to the baffle 56 there can be no rain entering the attic or other place that is vented by our invention. Moreover, the closure 68 can be completely closed or opened or adjusted to any intermediate position.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a flush roof ventilator, the combination of a box including a perforate top wall, a plurality of side walls and a sloped bottom provided with a Water drain opening a marginal frame provided on said top wall for ice '3 mounting the ventilator in a roof opening flush with the outer surface of a roof, one side Wall of said box having an air passage therein, an openable closure for said air passage, and an inclined baflle plate provided in said box and having its upper edge secured to said one side wall above said air passage, said baffle plate extending downwardly and inwardly from said one side wall and having its lower edge disposed below the air passage and above said drain opening.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a screen provided on said one side wall in register with said air passage.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a screen provided on said bottom in register with said drain opening. a

4. In a flush roof ventilator, the combination of a substantially rectangular box including a perforate top wall, a plurality of side walls and a sloped bottom provided substantially at the center thereof with a circular water drain opening a marginal frame provided on said top wall for mounting the ventilator in a roof opening flush with the outer surface of a roof, one side wall of said box having an air passage therein, and an inclined baflle plate provided in said box and having its upper edge secured to said one side wall above the upper edge of said air passage, said bafile plate extending downwardly and inwardly from said one side wall and having a vertical lower portion substantially diametrically aligned with said drain opening, the lower edge of the lower portion of said baflle plate being disposed below the lower edge of said air passage and spaced above the bottom of said box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

